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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · foot · branch · shower · march · board · bass · mug

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — a committee
  3. mug — to rob
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. shower — rain
  19. stock — shares
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. shower — to wash
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com